Slow Boat
A trip to Laos would not be complete without a two day slow boat ride down the Mekong River. We took six hour bus from Chiang Mai to the border town of Chang Khong, where we spent one night. In the morning we painlessly crossed the border into our eighteenth country. We were some of the last ones on the boat because we had been relaxing at the riverside restaurant with a group of people from our bus the day before, who we continued to run into throughout the country. The boat was completely packed even before the fifteen of us got on. There were small wooden benches in two rows running along the length of the boat. We got the one and only seat without a cushion, so we basically sat on a wooden plank for seven hours straight!
There was a wide variety of people on our boat, ranging from the locals to crazy travlers in the back. We sat somewhere in between and spent the next two days journaling, reading, and talking to fellow travelers. The Mekong River was large and muddy with random whirlpools sucking in tree branches. The scenery was amazing and we had a constant view of the jungle covered mountains. We spent the night in a small village in the worst room yet. There was a community bathroom that didn’t have any running water in the sink, mold everywhere, and littered with trash. We shared a room with Esther, from Holland, that didn’t have any AC or a fan, so we slept with the windows open, but were terrified that someone would climb in. The three beds were pushed together in the center of the room, but the hanging mosquito netting was offset and therefore somewhat pointless. We had a big group dinner with about half of the people from the slow boat and waited over an hour for our spring rolls. We were told our second day on the boat would take approximately eleven hours, so we were relieved when we arrived in Luang Prabang after only seven hours.
Luang Prabang
We loved Luang Prabang and it reminded us of a small European village. There were streets were lined with plants, it was extremely clean, and there were cute wooden signs advertising every building, We stayed at a guesthouse with Esther and this time it was the nicest room yet! Amy and Tamsyn from England stayed there as well and the five of us spent all of our time together. It was nice to have a group of girlfriends and we are hoping to meet up with them again along the way. The Laotians use the phrase, “same same, but different” all the time. We don’t really know what it means or how it is ever relevant, but we love it! On our way to dinner, we walked through the night market, which was set up down the middle of main street. It was such a nice break from the hectic night markets we have experienced in other parts of Asia. Nobody hassled us, everyone was happy and smiled as we passed, and the items were much more unique. We made our first big purchase and we absolutely love the bed comforters we bought and for only $20, we couldn’t pass them up! We had lasagna and pizza, which after gifts for ourselves was a little gift to our taste buds. It was so nice to not eat rice for a change!
One cultural experience that is a must see in Luang Prabang is waking up at 6:00 am to watch as the monks collect their daily offerings. The streets were eerily silent as the orange robed monks walked quietly in a single file line, while locals sitting on the side of the street placed sticky rice, flowers, and money in their baskets. It was like watching moving artwork! The five of us along with Otto and Taryn from Australia spent the day at a massive waterfall and a bear rescue center. Otto and Taryn had volunteered at a sister reserve in Cambodia, so we got a special tour of the center including the baby bears and the nursery. They were mostly Asiatic Black Bears, but they also had one baby Sun Bear that had been rescued and was being nursed back to health. The bears are protected against poachers, who use their paws for bear paw soup and drain their bile to be used in food as well. The center has only been open for six years, but is already making a lot of progress.
At first we were a little apprehensive to go to ‘yet another waterfall’… we are becoming so spoiled! However, this waterfall surpassed our expectations due to its multiple small waterfalls with swimming pools that led to a gigantic waterfall. We entered one of the natural pools via a large rope swing. The water was cold, the current was strong, and we received a free fish massage while swimming in the water. We ate dinner with a large group of travelers at an outdoor vegetarian buffet for only 5,000 kip. We feel really rich using the local currency and laugh every time we say an amount. For example, our hotel was 35,000 kip a night, which is about $3.00. We prefer to use kip denominations, purely for our own enjoyment!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Trekking in Chiang Mai
Unfortunately our overnight train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai was the most uncomfortable night sleep yet. Usually the slight movement of the train rocks us to sleep, but this was more of a rough, shaking, derailing, type of travel. The light remained on throughout the night and the air conditioning that we paid extra for nearly froze us to death. Despite the rough sleep, we woke up to the majestic hills of the jungle outside our window and spent the morning awestruck by Thailand’s natural beauty. We had booked a three day trek starting in Chiang Mai and we met the other trekkers upon arrival at the train station. Our day was spent walking around the city, which despite its large population felt more like a quaint town.
The city is surrounded by a moat and a crumbling city wall that was built as protection from the Burmese more than 700 years ago. We walked past many colorful temples and enjoyed lunch in a small local café, where our fried rice was cooked in a make-shift kitchen on the sidewalk. Our group met for orientation at our hotel before heading into the night market for shopping and dinner. There were eight of us on our trek as well as our local guide Samboon. Tom & Harry and Tom & James were from the UK and Jeanie & Glen were from Canada. We could tell the eight of us would get along well after spending only a few hours together.
Our first day of trekking was tons of fun starting with an elephant ride. The two of us shared a bench seat on top of the largest elephant in the group, while the mahout sat on top of the elephant’s head. We looped through the jungle, up and down hills, while stopping every few minutes because our elephant demanded bananas from us. They are such large creatures and it was really fun to be riding so far above the ground. We really enjoyed the elephant ride except for the violent way in which they are handled and controlled. The mahout would whack it over the head with a wooden rod or snag its ears using the attached metal hook. We tried not to watch and turned our heads in denial. A truck took us to a road side restaurant for a fried rice lunch and from there we left civilization to explore the jungle on foot.
We were isolated in the jungle and it was difficult to climb the muddy trails that were more like a slip and slide than a path. Our shoes were caked with mud and we had nothing to hold on to as we scrambled up the steep mountain. We could hear the river below as we crossed over many streams, but because of the dense forest we couldn’t actually see the source of the sound. All of a sudden the trees opened to a beautiful field full of rice paddies. We were accompanied by a four legged guide, who we named Chang, that led us most of the day. We stopped midday at a waterfall camp for a nice swim in the pool below. The water was extremely powerful, so much so that it forced the skin off Glen’s peeling back and the paint off Tom’s new camera. Samboon disappeared into the jungle and came back with a chunk of bamboo. We had to hold the dogs back as the local village tribe hacked open the bamboo and picked out every last maggot. The little guys were immediately fried and our group didn’t think twice before popping them into their mouths. They were described as having a “burst of juice in the middle,” which was more information than we needed. After our bug eating experience on Khao San Road, the two of us opted out and ate oranges instead.
Our first night was spent in a hillside village of a Karen tribe. We hung out and slept in a wooden bungalow suspended over the jungle canopy. The view was amazing and without walls or windows, we had 360 degree views. We relaxed while enjoying Chang beers and waited for dinner to be served over candlelight because the village lacks electricity. Samboon and James played the guitar while the rest of sang along to songs that we knew. Samboon and the other villagers sang the Thai songs, some of which they wrote themselves. Most of the time we sang only the chorus of popular songs and our voices dwindled away once we realized that we didn’t know anymore of the lyrics, but would start back up with the next well known song. After many hours of singing and hanging out, we all crawled up the steep wooden ladder to our room which was covered in thin mattresses and hanging mosquito netting.
Our trek was really laid back with no real time restraints and we were allowed a relaxing carefree breakfast. Once we started moving our hike started up full force. The steep incline, hot and humid weather, combined with the beer we were all sweating out made us an interesting and smelly group as we tried to become one with nature. We saw many interesting insects, which were unlike any we have seen before. Millions of ants covered the forest floor, following one another and creating cool designs. The path at the top of the mountain was just as muddy as the day before, but we quickly realized it was much deeper as our feet began to sink. Lunch was served at another hillside hut, which looked and tasted a lot like fancy ramen noodles. A spicy cricket dip and hot peppers accompanied the meal and as if we weren’t sweating enough, we tried to eat lunch the ‘Thai way.’
Our second night was spent at a waterfall camp where we played and SHOWERED in the cascading water. The waterfall was a series of rock ledges, which we laid on for a back massage and jumped off of into the pool below. There was a very strong current and we all left with bruises after being banged against the rocks. We lit a camp fire and alternated between sitting by it and playing games at the tables. We are relived that we have a more recent fire experience, because up until this night the smell of smoke reminded us of the burning bodies in Varanasi. We learned a bunch of cool Thai magic tricks using sticks, string, and candles and Jayme mastered her very first song on the guitar.
All things that go up, must come down and we spent our final day hiking down the mountains that we had hiked up the first two days. Our trip ended on the river and we barely survived our bamboo rafting experience. Our 15 ft raft was a series of bamboo logs tied together and guided by a very small man with a very large pole. Tom and Harry were on our raft and entertained us with their shenanigans and handstands. Our raft came apart as we avoided another upturned raft and we were forced to stand on the bank of the river as our raft was remade. Chelsea lost her balance and fell into the river, but as a good friend Jayme joined her shortly after because the boys pushed her in. We swung on a rope swing and spent the majority of our final moments bamboo rafting in the water.
It was really sad to say goodbye after creating so many amazing memories together. Although we only spent a few days with them, we will remember our new friends forever when we think back on our amazing Thailand trekking adventure, which is at the top of our list for favorite Globalizer moments!
We set off on a three day slow boat into the neighboring country of Laos.
The city is surrounded by a moat and a crumbling city wall that was built as protection from the Burmese more than 700 years ago. We walked past many colorful temples and enjoyed lunch in a small local café, where our fried rice was cooked in a make-shift kitchen on the sidewalk. Our group met for orientation at our hotel before heading into the night market for shopping and dinner. There were eight of us on our trek as well as our local guide Samboon. Tom & Harry and Tom & James were from the UK and Jeanie & Glen were from Canada. We could tell the eight of us would get along well after spending only a few hours together.
Our first day of trekking was tons of fun starting with an elephant ride. The two of us shared a bench seat on top of the largest elephant in the group, while the mahout sat on top of the elephant’s head. We looped through the jungle, up and down hills, while stopping every few minutes because our elephant demanded bananas from us. They are such large creatures and it was really fun to be riding so far above the ground. We really enjoyed the elephant ride except for the violent way in which they are handled and controlled. The mahout would whack it over the head with a wooden rod or snag its ears using the attached metal hook. We tried not to watch and turned our heads in denial. A truck took us to a road side restaurant for a fried rice lunch and from there we left civilization to explore the jungle on foot.
We were isolated in the jungle and it was difficult to climb the muddy trails that were more like a slip and slide than a path. Our shoes were caked with mud and we had nothing to hold on to as we scrambled up the steep mountain. We could hear the river below as we crossed over many streams, but because of the dense forest we couldn’t actually see the source of the sound. All of a sudden the trees opened to a beautiful field full of rice paddies. We were accompanied by a four legged guide, who we named Chang, that led us most of the day. We stopped midday at a waterfall camp for a nice swim in the pool below. The water was extremely powerful, so much so that it forced the skin off Glen’s peeling back and the paint off Tom’s new camera. Samboon disappeared into the jungle and came back with a chunk of bamboo. We had to hold the dogs back as the local village tribe hacked open the bamboo and picked out every last maggot. The little guys were immediately fried and our group didn’t think twice before popping them into their mouths. They were described as having a “burst of juice in the middle,” which was more information than we needed. After our bug eating experience on Khao San Road, the two of us opted out and ate oranges instead.
Our first night was spent in a hillside village of a Karen tribe. We hung out and slept in a wooden bungalow suspended over the jungle canopy. The view was amazing and without walls or windows, we had 360 degree views. We relaxed while enjoying Chang beers and waited for dinner to be served over candlelight because the village lacks electricity. Samboon and James played the guitar while the rest of sang along to songs that we knew. Samboon and the other villagers sang the Thai songs, some of which they wrote themselves. Most of the time we sang only the chorus of popular songs and our voices dwindled away once we realized that we didn’t know anymore of the lyrics, but would start back up with the next well known song. After many hours of singing and hanging out, we all crawled up the steep wooden ladder to our room which was covered in thin mattresses and hanging mosquito netting.
Our trek was really laid back with no real time restraints and we were allowed a relaxing carefree breakfast. Once we started moving our hike started up full force. The steep incline, hot and humid weather, combined with the beer we were all sweating out made us an interesting and smelly group as we tried to become one with nature. We saw many interesting insects, which were unlike any we have seen before. Millions of ants covered the forest floor, following one another and creating cool designs. The path at the top of the mountain was just as muddy as the day before, but we quickly realized it was much deeper as our feet began to sink. Lunch was served at another hillside hut, which looked and tasted a lot like fancy ramen noodles. A spicy cricket dip and hot peppers accompanied the meal and as if we weren’t sweating enough, we tried to eat lunch the ‘Thai way.’
Our second night was spent at a waterfall camp where we played and SHOWERED in the cascading water. The waterfall was a series of rock ledges, which we laid on for a back massage and jumped off of into the pool below. There was a very strong current and we all left with bruises after being banged against the rocks. We lit a camp fire and alternated between sitting by it and playing games at the tables. We are relived that we have a more recent fire experience, because up until this night the smell of smoke reminded us of the burning bodies in Varanasi. We learned a bunch of cool Thai magic tricks using sticks, string, and candles and Jayme mastered her very first song on the guitar.
All things that go up, must come down and we spent our final day hiking down the mountains that we had hiked up the first two days. Our trip ended on the river and we barely survived our bamboo rafting experience. Our 15 ft raft was a series of bamboo logs tied together and guided by a very small man with a very large pole. Tom and Harry were on our raft and entertained us with their shenanigans and handstands. Our raft came apart as we avoided another upturned raft and we were forced to stand on the bank of the river as our raft was remade. Chelsea lost her balance and fell into the river, but as a good friend Jayme joined her shortly after because the boys pushed her in. We swung on a rope swing and spent the majority of our final moments bamboo rafting in the water.
It was really sad to say goodbye after creating so many amazing memories together. Although we only spent a few days with them, we will remember our new friends forever when we think back on our amazing Thailand trekking adventure, which is at the top of our list for favorite Globalizer moments!
We set off on a three day slow boat into the neighboring country of Laos.
Thailand…our two month adventure of Southeast Asia begins here
People warned us that Bangkok was an overwhelming city and we would want to leave as soon as possible…but after India, we found it very refreshing. It is a big city, but the air conditioned malls, clean streets, street signs, and western clothing made it feel more like home than we ever could have expected. We spent four days exploring the city and planning our first few weeks in Asia. We had not stayed at a hostel since we were in London and it was fun to be back in the social setting that Lub-d Hostel offered us. Our 10-bed room was air conditioned and clean, the bathroom was spotless and modern, and theater room with a big screen TV reminded us of how great a movie night can be. Getting around the city by tuk-tuk is an interesting ordeal. We would agree on one price, but then be offered a lower price if we made “just one” stop for them, where they received a free gas or food coupon. These stops usually included a tailor shop or a gem factory and by the time we reached our destination we had made multiple stops along the way, but got the ride for free. We never bought anything and passed the time creating different scenarios to play along to.
The city is scattered with temples and a popular way to view a few of them is to take a boat ride along the river and down the canals. Many of the buildings lining the water were built on stilts and all of the clothing hanging from the porches made for a very colorful ride. The temples we passed along the way were all beautiful and more colorful than any of the other sights we have seen on the trip so far. There was a lot of activity on the canals with women selling trinkets out of their boats and the locals fishing for dinner off their porches. We enjoyed our boat ride and it was a relaxing and alternative way to see parts of Bangkok.
When backpackers come to Bangkok, it seems like each and every one spends their evenings on Khao San Road. This area is full of restaurants, shops, food stands, and guest houses. We ate delicious and extremely cheap pad thai off the streets. The food is displayed on the side of the wok and is cooked fresh in front of the customer with the desired ingredients. For less than $1, this was our favorite meal of the trip so far! Instead of paying to have our feet nibbled on, we experienced the fish massage by sticking our hands in the water for free. The little fish swarmed our hands as soon as they entered the water where they began eating away the dead skin. It is a great concept, although we didn’t know if our feet would be able to handle the tickling sensation for twenty minutes straight.
Of all the interesting things we saw on Khao San Road, the cart selling dead bugs as snacks was on the top of our list. There were bugs for every taste including grasshoppers, beetles, worm-like things, and other small juicy looking insects. We stood back in disgust and fascination as other tourists ordered the insects of their choice and one by one forced them down with onlookers cheering them on. We had no desire to partake in the bug-eating festivities, but then remembered that our friend, Kyle, had dared us to eat a grasshopper in Bangkok (although we thought they would be covered in chocolate). After watching a number of other people eat the insects, we started to gain courage and decided that if we didn’t do it then, we never would. The grasshoppers were large, but the smaller bugs looked juicier, so we decided to suck it up and try one of the big crispy grasshoppers. The bug man picked the two smallest grasshoppers from the large grasshopper tray (which were still the size of one of our fingers), put them in a bag with salt and soy sauce, asked for 5 baht, and handed them over to us. We carefully plucked them out of the bag, cheered one another, and put the whole thing into our mouths. They were crispy like a potato chip and tasted pretty salty. We chewed and crunched, feeling the legs getting stuck between our teeth, and had the hardest time actually swallowing the little critters. We washed them down with water and bought two ice creams in an attempt to get the taste out of our mouths. It wasn’t as awful as we had imagined and will be something we will remember forever!
On our way north to Chang Mai, we stayed one night in the old capital city- Ayutthaya. Our guest house had a cute garden filled with trees, flowers, and vines that hung down all around us. The owners brought us a plate of plantains every time we sat down and two large dogs kept us company. To save money and experience the culture, we ate our dinners at a local market for less than $2.00. We rented bikes and rode around the city, which is an island surrounded by rivers. It took us awhile to get used to riding on the other side of the road, but the cars were very cautious and polite. We passed many old temples, our favorite one had a Buddha head intertwined in it’s roots. We visited an elephant kraal, which is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the life of elephants. We watched volunteers bathing and feeding them and enjoyed being so close to the elephants. Ayutthaya is a beautiful town with a lot of history and we are so happy to be here in Asia!
The city is scattered with temples and a popular way to view a few of them is to take a boat ride along the river and down the canals. Many of the buildings lining the water were built on stilts and all of the clothing hanging from the porches made for a very colorful ride. The temples we passed along the way were all beautiful and more colorful than any of the other sights we have seen on the trip so far. There was a lot of activity on the canals with women selling trinkets out of their boats and the locals fishing for dinner off their porches. We enjoyed our boat ride and it was a relaxing and alternative way to see parts of Bangkok.
When backpackers come to Bangkok, it seems like each and every one spends their evenings on Khao San Road. This area is full of restaurants, shops, food stands, and guest houses. We ate delicious and extremely cheap pad thai off the streets. The food is displayed on the side of the wok and is cooked fresh in front of the customer with the desired ingredients. For less than $1, this was our favorite meal of the trip so far! Instead of paying to have our feet nibbled on, we experienced the fish massage by sticking our hands in the water for free. The little fish swarmed our hands as soon as they entered the water where they began eating away the dead skin. It is a great concept, although we didn’t know if our feet would be able to handle the tickling sensation for twenty minutes straight.
Of all the interesting things we saw on Khao San Road, the cart selling dead bugs as snacks was on the top of our list. There were bugs for every taste including grasshoppers, beetles, worm-like things, and other small juicy looking insects. We stood back in disgust and fascination as other tourists ordered the insects of their choice and one by one forced them down with onlookers cheering them on. We had no desire to partake in the bug-eating festivities, but then remembered that our friend, Kyle, had dared us to eat a grasshopper in Bangkok (although we thought they would be covered in chocolate). After watching a number of other people eat the insects, we started to gain courage and decided that if we didn’t do it then, we never would. The grasshoppers were large, but the smaller bugs looked juicier, so we decided to suck it up and try one of the big crispy grasshoppers. The bug man picked the two smallest grasshoppers from the large grasshopper tray (which were still the size of one of our fingers), put them in a bag with salt and soy sauce, asked for 5 baht, and handed them over to us. We carefully plucked them out of the bag, cheered one another, and put the whole thing into our mouths. They were crispy like a potato chip and tasted pretty salty. We chewed and crunched, feeling the legs getting stuck between our teeth, and had the hardest time actually swallowing the little critters. We washed them down with water and bought two ice creams in an attempt to get the taste out of our mouths. It wasn’t as awful as we had imagined and will be something we will remember forever!
On our way north to Chang Mai, we stayed one night in the old capital city- Ayutthaya. Our guest house had a cute garden filled with trees, flowers, and vines that hung down all around us. The owners brought us a plate of plantains every time we sat down and two large dogs kept us company. To save money and experience the culture, we ate our dinners at a local market for less than $2.00. We rented bikes and rode around the city, which is an island surrounded by rivers. It took us awhile to get used to riding on the other side of the road, but the cars were very cautious and polite. We passed many old temples, our favorite one had a Buddha head intertwined in it’s roots. We visited an elephant kraal, which is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the life of elephants. We watched volunteers bathing and feeding them and enjoyed being so close to the elephants. Ayutthaya is a beautiful town with a lot of history and we are so happy to be here in Asia!
Namaste from Rishikesh
We fell in love with Rishikesh the moment we arrived and decided to stay there for the duration of our time in India. This quite town is located in the foothills (which are still very large mountains) of the Garhwal Himalayas. We took a train from the large city of Varanasi to the smaller town of Haridwar, a bus to the even smaller town of Rishikesh, a rickshaw to the area known as Lakshman Jhula, and then walked to High Bank, a pocket of small cottages in the hills surrounded by forest. Mama from Mama’s Cottage ran onto the path when we arrived and ushered us up to her quaint hotel. Our small and basic room cost us 150 rupees ($3) each night and after seven nights, it really felt like home.
Mama’s Cottage was tucked back into the trees, away from the noise and traffic, with a view from the rooftop looking down on the Ganges River. Mama’s Cottage is a family business and felt much more like a home stay than a hotel. Three generations of her family were always out and about, some working while others were just stopping by to say hello. We called her Mama and she called us daughters. She cooked thali every night, which she served family style around a short wooden table in the courtyard. The dinner consisted of rice, daal, chapaati, and two types of vegetable dishes. The dinners were a great way to meet fellow travelers and we spent many nights sharing food, exchanging stories, and giving one another travel tips. In addition to the paying guests, there were also monkeys that hung around the cottage searching for food or taking baths in the water tanks on the roof.
We were glad Rishikesh lacked the craziness of the larger cities we had visited, but still contained the culture and charm of India. The rickshaw drivers and shop owners did not hassle us as much. The people were much friendlier and always greeted us with a smile saying, “Namastè .” The streets were still filled with cows, motorcycles, people, monkeys, and cars, but in a much smaller quantity. Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula were the two main pedestrian bridges (apparently motorcycles count as people as well) used to cross the Ganges River. Most of the shops, restaurants, yoga ashrams, and temples were located around these two bridges.
The majority of our days were spent walking around Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula , enjoying the sites and people. We tried out a lot of the restaurants, which all offered panoramic views of the bridges and the Ganges. We became addicted to muesli fruit curd for breakfast and an assortment of Indian food for dinner. Our favorite meals were thali at mamas, which only cost us $1.00 each, but all of our food was inexpensive. There was a ceremony every evening at sunset called Puja, which was full of singing, chanting, candles, and many sunset rituals. It was really beautiful and we meant to go again, but sunset typically marked our ‘bedtime’ in India.
We loved being surrounded by the great outdoors and partaking in rafting and hiking was another reason we felt at home in Rishikesh. We went rafting down the Ganges on the first day of the season, and surprised ourselves by jumping in the water. We were upstream from the filthy water we had seen in Varanasi and being closer to the source made us feel better about floating down the sacred river. A jeep with our raft attached to the top drove us 18 kilometers up the river to our starting point. We walked down a forested path to a beach where our two very small Indian guides followed carrying our large raft above their heads. Two first-time rafters, a girl from China and a girl from Korea, joined us in our raft and we set off down the river after a brief safety talk from our guides. There were three main rapids that we rafted, but the rest of the river was pretty calm. People waved at us from the shore and took pictures as we passed under the bridges. We had a great time and it was well worth our $8!
There was a great hiking trail that led to a series of three waterfalls just a few kilometers away from Mama’s Cottage. The first time we hiked to the waterfall, we were charged the 30 rupee foreign visitor fee because the attendant would not honor our student id cards since they did not have expiration dates. We hiked up to the second waterfall on our first attempt, but it was late in the afternoon and the humidity was intense, so we decided to turn around a come back another day. We made friends with Lewis from New Zealand and Emily from Connecticut and decided to go back with them. This time we climbed the 1.5 kilometers to the top of the mountain, stopping to swim in one of the pools below a waterfall. It was a grueling hike, but it was well worth it because we were greeted with the majestic sight of endless rice paddies stretching back through the mountains. Near the top we were greeted by a little boy with holes in his pants asking for rupees and gazing out into the distance, but sheepishly glancing at us from time to time. At first glance, the surrounding hills looked still, but after a closer look, the rice paddies came to life with people working, monkeys climbing around, and cows carrying supplies.
If there was one stress in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world, it was trying to decide on a yoga studio and massage spa… they were everywhere! We decided to spend a few days resting and pampering ourselves in High Bank. We took a morning yoga class at a Guru Brahmashram. There were only five students in the class, which meant the teacher had time to adjust and work with each of us. It was different than yoga we have done in the past, but a perfect way to begin a morning in India. We had a rejuvenation massage, which left us relaxed, happy, and very oily! We gave ourselves pedicures and later paid to have our feet decorated with unique henna designs. We alternated between reading on the roof, our room, or in the courtyard and finished a number of books during our stay in Rishikesh. Staying in one place and taking a vacation from our trip meant that we had to miss out on other sights, but we know we will be back some day. We are already planning out our next trip to India!
Mama’s Cottage was tucked back into the trees, away from the noise and traffic, with a view from the rooftop looking down on the Ganges River. Mama’s Cottage is a family business and felt much more like a home stay than a hotel. Three generations of her family were always out and about, some working while others were just stopping by to say hello. We called her Mama and she called us daughters. She cooked thali every night, which she served family style around a short wooden table in the courtyard. The dinner consisted of rice, daal, chapaati, and two types of vegetable dishes. The dinners were a great way to meet fellow travelers and we spent many nights sharing food, exchanging stories, and giving one another travel tips. In addition to the paying guests, there were also monkeys that hung around the cottage searching for food or taking baths in the water tanks on the roof.
We were glad Rishikesh lacked the craziness of the larger cities we had visited, but still contained the culture and charm of India. The rickshaw drivers and shop owners did not hassle us as much. The people were much friendlier and always greeted us with a smile saying, “Namastè .” The streets were still filled with cows, motorcycles, people, monkeys, and cars, but in a much smaller quantity. Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula were the two main pedestrian bridges (apparently motorcycles count as people as well) used to cross the Ganges River. Most of the shops, restaurants, yoga ashrams, and temples were located around these two bridges.
The majority of our days were spent walking around Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula , enjoying the sites and people. We tried out a lot of the restaurants, which all offered panoramic views of the bridges and the Ganges. We became addicted to muesli fruit curd for breakfast and an assortment of Indian food for dinner. Our favorite meals were thali at mamas, which only cost us $1.00 each, but all of our food was inexpensive. There was a ceremony every evening at sunset called Puja, which was full of singing, chanting, candles, and many sunset rituals. It was really beautiful and we meant to go again, but sunset typically marked our ‘bedtime’ in India.
We loved being surrounded by the great outdoors and partaking in rafting and hiking was another reason we felt at home in Rishikesh. We went rafting down the Ganges on the first day of the season, and surprised ourselves by jumping in the water. We were upstream from the filthy water we had seen in Varanasi and being closer to the source made us feel better about floating down the sacred river. A jeep with our raft attached to the top drove us 18 kilometers up the river to our starting point. We walked down a forested path to a beach where our two very small Indian guides followed carrying our large raft above their heads. Two first-time rafters, a girl from China and a girl from Korea, joined us in our raft and we set off down the river after a brief safety talk from our guides. There were three main rapids that we rafted, but the rest of the river was pretty calm. People waved at us from the shore and took pictures as we passed under the bridges. We had a great time and it was well worth our $8!
There was a great hiking trail that led to a series of three waterfalls just a few kilometers away from Mama’s Cottage. The first time we hiked to the waterfall, we were charged the 30 rupee foreign visitor fee because the attendant would not honor our student id cards since they did not have expiration dates. We hiked up to the second waterfall on our first attempt, but it was late in the afternoon and the humidity was intense, so we decided to turn around a come back another day. We made friends with Lewis from New Zealand and Emily from Connecticut and decided to go back with them. This time we climbed the 1.5 kilometers to the top of the mountain, stopping to swim in one of the pools below a waterfall. It was a grueling hike, but it was well worth it because we were greeted with the majestic sight of endless rice paddies stretching back through the mountains. Near the top we were greeted by a little boy with holes in his pants asking for rupees and gazing out into the distance, but sheepishly glancing at us from time to time. At first glance, the surrounding hills looked still, but after a closer look, the rice paddies came to life with people working, monkeys climbing around, and cows carrying supplies.
If there was one stress in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world, it was trying to decide on a yoga studio and massage spa… they were everywhere! We decided to spend a few days resting and pampering ourselves in High Bank. We took a morning yoga class at a Guru Brahmashram. There were only five students in the class, which meant the teacher had time to adjust and work with each of us. It was different than yoga we have done in the past, but a perfect way to begin a morning in India. We had a rejuvenation massage, which left us relaxed, happy, and very oily! We gave ourselves pedicures and later paid to have our feet decorated with unique henna designs. We alternated between reading on the roof, our room, or in the courtyard and finished a number of books during our stay in Rishikesh. Staying in one place and taking a vacation from our trip meant that we had to miss out on other sights, but we know we will be back some day. We are already planning out our next trip to India!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Golden Triangle and Varanasi, India
Delhi:
We finally arrived in Delhi, India after thirteen hours of traveling. We walked off the plane and were immediately confronted with people in masks, swine flu information papers, and a medical check point. We had to fill out a medical history report and noticed that within the last two months, we had traveled through fifteen countries with confirmed cases of swine flu. There were booths set up as well as a large screen showing everyone’s temperature reading as they passed through customs. We waited longer than we ever have before at baggage pick up, apparently it is much cheaper to buy TV’s in Bangkok because we watched at least fifty big screen TV’s pass by us on the conveyer belt. We waited and waited, but Chelsea’s bag never showed up. After filling out a lot of paperwork we were given 3,000 rupees for the inconvenience and were assured our bag would arrive the next day, which it did!
Driving through the streets of Delhi is a much more terrifying experience than it was in Egypt. The streets are filled with cars, rickshaws, bikes, pedestrians, and cows. There is no need for the center line dividing the lanes because the drivers ignore it and cram twice as many vehicles into each lane. Our hotel was located in the Paharganj neighborhood of New Delhi and right outside our door was the main bazaar. The street was filled with shops, dirt, cows, people, food vendors, and stray dogs. Our noisy room was the size of a closet. The lock on the door was sketchy, so we pushed our bed up against the door at night for added security. The room was dirty and the bathroom lacked toilet paper, soap, and a shower stall, so we showered standing between the sink and the toilet, while water sprayed everywhere.
We toured the sights of Delhi with our own personal driver, Mr. Raj. He took us to the Gandhi Smriti, which is a memorial for Mahatma Ghandi and is in the location where he spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated. The Raj Ghat is an eternal flame memorial for Mahatma Gandhi. Humayun’s Tomb is a magnificent tomb built for Emperor Humayun by his wife in the mid sixteenth century. We entered the Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Birla Mandir) and observed evening prayer taking place. Safdarjang’s Tomb reminded us of a small Taj Mahal and is one of the last examples of Mughal architecture. We also visited the India Gate, Red Fort, Indira Gandhi Memorial, and the Lodi Garden. The architecture style was very different than what we were used to and made us feel like we really had arrived in India.
Our few days in Delhi were spent figuring out where our future travels in India would take us. We were lucky enough to find a Lonely Planet guide book at our hotel that had been left by another traveler and it became our India bible. We were almost scammed many times by tourist agencies trying to get us to pay for overpriced excursions. Thanks to our guide book, we found the reservation office for tourists at the train station, despite the times people told us it did not exist and we needed to book through a “government office” that they would take us to. We met Fran and Eve from England at the station and Fran suggested a route that we should follow, so we went ahead and booked our train tickets. The girls as well as a couple from Paris, joined us at our hotel’s rooftop restaurant for dinner where we had eaten breakfasts and dinners every day since we had arrived. We were doing everything we could to avoid getting “Delhi Belly”, so as soon as we found a good restaurant, we decided to stick with it. We were excited to leave the busy streets of Delhi and left for Jaipur after spending three days in the capital city.
Jaipur:
We took an early morning train to the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan and were delighted to find that after navigating the trains in Europe, India had a very similar set up. The main difference was that the New Delhi train station was littered with trash, people sleeping on the ground and in their rickshaws, and rodents running around. Our train offered us free water, tea, and breakfast, and other than a little dirt and a mouse that ran over Jayme’s foot, it felt a lot like the Eurail.
We took a rickshaw tour of Jaipur with our driver and guide, Nawab Ali. He drove us around the old city which is also called the “pink city” due to the fact that all of the buildings have been painted pink. We climbed the Hawal Mahal tower to view the entire city from the top before driving to the Amber Fort 11km outside of the city. The beautiful fort was built on the hillside and we climbed up to the courtyard where kids were enjoying elephant rides. It started raining, so we took shelter on a bench under a tree where we enjoyed a bag of raisins. We climbed down the steep steps while the locals offered us umbrellas and obviously thought we were crazy to be outside in the rain, although we loved the sudden drop in temperature. We drove through the outskirts of Jaipur along a dirt road where we passed a pig, dog, cow, goat, and monkey all in the span of about a minute. We visited a textile factory and watched as the workers hand printed designs on saris and scarves. We got suckered into the shop where we spent an hour sipping chai and looking through an assortment of merchandise. We finally settled on two identical pillow covers that will forever remind us of India (and will look great in the house we will have to share when we get back in case we have separation anxiety from one another).
We had another early morning train ride the next day and we wanted to practice walking to the train station to make sure we knew where we were going. It took us fifteen minutes to walk there along busy streets that we were hoping would be less crowded in the early hours of the following morning. We have become accustomed to seeing men urinating on the side of the road and in the urinal stands scattered around the cities. Today however, we made the mistake of walking behind an electrical box to avoid being hit by speeding rickshaws and came face to face with piles of human poo! We immediately decided to retire our flip flops for the rest of our stay in India and wear only our closed toed hiking shoes from then on. Our favorite dinner so far was at the Hotel Pearl Palace on their rooftop garden covered in tropical plants and ornate wrought-iron tables and chairs. We ordered our regular meal which consisted of vegetable spring rolls, two pieces of naan, rice, and vegetable curry. Our dinners average 150 rupees which is about $3.
Agra:
Our hotel in the Taj Ganj area of Agra provided us amazing views of the Taj Mahal from yet another rooftop restaurant. The guide books give great advice on how to get around in different cities, but they often leave out information on walking. Since we really enjoy walking and personally navigating our way through cities, we decided to walk a couple miles across town to visit the Sadaar Bazaar. We are so glad that we did this because on our way we spotted a group of monkeys playing in the trees on the side of the road. We would have missed this if we would have been speeding down the road in a rickshaw. The monkeys were a bit skittish and hid when we tried to take pictures. All of a sudden, two men on a motorcycle stopped next to us and before we knew what was happening, the monkeys were racing towards us. The men were throwing bananas to them and sped off before we could thank them for providing us with the perfect photo moment. We shared traveling stories with Australians and Germans during dinner at our hotel restaurant as we watched the sun set over the Taj Mahal. The two of us share our traveling frustrations with each other, but it is comforting to meet other travelers and realize that we are all experiencing the same thing. The Australian women put it perfectly, “all foreigners here are viewed as ATM’s on two legs.”
We woke up before sunrise and set off for the west gate entrance to the Taj Mahal to beat the crowds. To our surprise, we were not allowed to bring in our sudoku puzzle book, playing cards, ipod, and cookies, we think this is to discourage loitering. It was amazing to be standing in front of the Taj Mahal, but it was exactly what we had expected. The tomb of Shah Jahan’s second wife (and cousin) who died giving birth to their fourteenth child is massive, built with tons of white marble, and inlaid with precious gem stones. Construction started in 1631 and took more than twenty years to complete. We walked around the entire perimeter of the gardens, viewing the Taj from all directions. This is the first country we have been in where foreigners are charged a different entrance fee than the locals for all of the major sights. It cost us 750 rupees to enter the Taj ($15), while it only costs Indians 20 rupees ($0.40). We thought it was great that locals were able to afford to visit their country’s historical monuments, but it was clear that we were getting ripped off.
Agra’s other main attraction is the Agra Fort and we enjoyed our stroll so much the day before, that we decided to walk through town to the Agra Fort as well. A rickshaw driver stopped us at one point complaining, “You walk. Bad for my business, but good exercise for you!” Only 20 percent of the red sandstone fort is open to visitors and it is hard to imagine how large it really is because we saw so much. The fort was built in 1565 by Emperor Akbar on the bank of the Yamuna River. Shah Jahan (Akbar’s grandson) transformed the fort into a palace and was later imprisoned inside for the last eight years of his life. The fort offers great views of the Taj Mahal and we took a few minutes to admire Agra’s most popular site from the second most popular site. We noticed there was a lovely park near the fort on our walk there and decided to relax in the shade and avoid the busy streets for a while. Looking at a map, we realized there might be a path in the park that would lead us back to the Taj Mahal. We followed the trail through the lush forest where we did not run into any other tourists. What we did run into was another group of playful monkeys. We took pictures of them for a while and laughed when we realized a group of local men had crowded around us and were curiously watching us watch the monkeys. We loved our peaceful walk and the fact that we didn’t have to deal with the pushy rickshaw drivers trying to hassle us. It was extremely hot and humid outside and the only air conditioned building we could think of was the Indian chain restaurant Café. We dried out in the back room sitting on comfy ottomans, drinking frozen coffee, and reading. Sometimes it is really nice to do something that reminds us of the luxuries of home and this hit the spot.
Varanasi:
We had our first overnight train experience which we were both a little nervous about. We had two beds in a 3-tier AC car. The car is divided into separate rooms with three beds against the two side walls and two more beds parallel to the hallway, but perpendicular to the rest of the beds. We locked our bags at the head of our beds which gave us about ¾ of the bed to actually sleep on. We were rocked to sleep by the shaky train while surrounded by six Indian men. Our train did not arrive to Varanasi until 12:00 pm and we enjoyed a brief conversation with one of our roommates, an Indian professor who teaches animal science. He gave us each cookies and confirmed our stop at the main train station.
Varanasi is a unique city unlike any other. We walked through the old city which is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways filled with shops, feces, animals, people, and motorcycles. We stayed at the Shanti Guest House which is located right next to the Manikarnika Ghat - the main burning ghat. We spent the majority of the day getting lost in the old city and along the 80 plus ghats that line the Ganges River.
Ghats are bathing steps leading down to the Ganges River where we witnessed everything from swimming and bathing, washing clothes, dumping garbage, and burning bodies. Varanasi is one of the holiest places for Hindus and they view it as a crossing between the physical and spiritual world. Families bring the bodies of their dead loved ones to the city to be cremated in public at one of the burning ghats. We saw many funeral processions weaving their way throughout the city carrying the deceased on a bamboo stretcher wrapped in colorful cloth and covered with flowers. Once the body is taken to the burning ghat, it is drenched in water from the Ganges, meant to wash away any sins, and hoisted onto a pile of pre stacked wood. More wood is carefully placed over the body and lit using a flame from the eternal fire. During the ten minutes we stood at the burning ghat, we saw at least four separate fires burning, one body being carried to the river bank, and one woman being placed on a pile of wood. Cremations take place twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Neither of us had seen a dead body before and while it was sad, it wasn’t as horrifying as we thought it would be. Even though we only spent a short amount of time at the burning ghat, the ash in the air and the blowing smoke (throughout the city and even on our rooftop restaurant) was a constant reminder of what was taking place below.
We walked through the crowded streets leading to the Dasaswamedh Ghat which is the most popular and busiest ghat. It was later in the day and because of the cooler temperature, everyone was out and about. People were swimming and bathing and we ventured down along the river passing many of the other ghats. We are obsessed with monkeys and were excited to see a baby monkey playing with a couple of puppies on the river bank. We think he was a pet monkey because there were no other monkeys around and he was not afraid of people. Jayme got within a few inches of him at one point and some of the guys let him crawl onto their shoulders.
We couldn’t leave Varanasi without going for a sunrise boat ride along the Ganges. We left the hotel at 5:00 am and met up with five other people who were on their way to the river as well. We bargained the price down to 50 rupees per person for a one hour ride along the river. Our nineteen year old guide who sleeps in the boat each night took us down past Dasaswamedh Ghat and pointed out interesting buildings along the way. We kept cringing every time we were splashed with even a drop of water knowing how filthy this holy water really is. According to Lonely Planet, 60,000 people go to the Varanasi ghats to take a holy dip every day where thirty large sewers are continuously discharging into the water. Samples from the river show the water has 1.5 million fecal coli form bacteria per 100mL of water. In water that is safe for bathing, this number should be less than 500. We were all appalled when our guide scooped a generous handful of water straight from the river into his mouth. We do not understand their immune system or their logic. After death, those people who are not permitted to be cremated for religious reasons are dropped into the river wrapped in cloth and attached to a concrete block. These people include babies, pregnant women, people who have been bitten by a snake, those with leprosy, and holy men. Sometimes the bodies do not remain on the bottom of the river and if they float to the west side of the river (along the ghats), they are thrown back in, but if the body floats to the east side of the river, it is left there and often devoured by wild animals. We crossed the river to the east side and bared witness to the skeletal remains of at least six people on a fifty foot stretch of the shore. We were literally stepping over skulls, vertebrae, femurs, and pelvic bones. Death is regarded in such a different way here and our guide didn’t think twice before chucking a skull at the group of us, thinking it was funny to watch us squirm. As we crossed back to the west side where the fires from the burning ghat were in full force, we saw a bloated body floating down the river between our boat and a group of bathing men. Needless to say, our eyes have been opened to a lot in Varanasi.
We will be spending the next week in northern India away from the big cities.
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